Light and Darkness
by ManOfManyTales
Summary: [Has been updated to two-shot][Please review] Ozpin went to meet Salem after the battle of Beacon. As the two discuss their ongoing battle, old wounds are reopened, forcing the two to talk about a pain they've long since suppressed. [Complete. Please review]
1. Chapter 1

**This was an idea I had for a while. After watching and Volume 3 and reading other fanfics, Ozpin x Salem has quickly become one of my OTPs (after Jaune x Ruby). This story came about from a Theory I had on the nature of Ozpin, Salem, and their relationship… and I will explain my theory at the end of the story.**

 **Disclaimer:** _ **RWBY**_ **and its characters are the property of Rooster Teeth.**

* * *

 _ **Light and Darkness**_

She stood at the edge of a cliff, overlooking the barren rocky landscape that was her home. He searing red eyes gazed out at the vast empty expanses of her realm. The light of Remnant's fractured moon was reflected off the massive, sharp, protruding crystalline structures that littered her kingdom and mixed into the rock formations, casting her realm in an eerie, off-putting purple light. And to her, it was absolutely beautiful.

She was keeping her eye on things in the rest of the world, for she was all-seeing. No one knew how, but she could easily see all the events of the world occur, from the largest storm to the smallest ripple. She watched as events unfolded; as one story closed only to begin another.

He was behind her. She could tell that much, even though he was the only thing she couldn't see in all her omniscience. As he fought her pawn, her so-called champion, he disappeared from her vision. She couldn't help but chuckle darkly; of course he'd come directly to her, she had no reason to believe he'd do anything else. Even though they were enemies, destined to wage their war until the end of time, he was still welcome in her realm.

She made no move to attack him, and he made no strike against her. They both knew better. Too long now had they fought against each other; too long had they waged their endless war. No matter what the other tried, they were equals. Any direct battle between them would always end in a stalemate. It was why they started turning to others to fight for them, selecting champions to fight in their stead.

As she stared out into her desolate kingdom, her eyes saw the beginning of a new story taking place far away. His latest champion was setting off on her next journey. Her deathly pale lips curled upright into a smirk in realizing who he'd selected.

"A smaller, more honest soul." She finally spoke. "It's true that a simple spark can ignite hope breathe fire into the hearts of the weary. The ability to derive strength from hope is undoubtedly mankind's greatest attribute." She paused as she processed her words. Even though she hated to admit it, it's something she'd seen happen for centuries, they both have, and it only made her goal clearer.

"Which is why I will focus all of my power to snuff if out."

Through the ages their timeless war had been fought. She pulled out all the stops, and yet he was still the one who came out on top. For the longest time however, even their champions had been pushed into a stalemate. No longer. She had finally figured it out, what made him so powerful, why he always won. She'd learned his greatest weakness; he'd continue to cling to his old morals and ideals. Meanwhile, she'd learned and evolved, adapting new strategies.

"How does it feel?" She asked him. "Knowing that all your time and effort has been for nothing? That your guardians have failed you? That everything you've built will be torn down before your very eyes?"

When he didn't respond, she continued, wanting to break through the calm demeanor of his, wanting a rise out of him. "Your faith in mankind is not displaced." She admitted. "When banded together, unified by a common enemy, they are a noticeable threat." She paused again, letting the severity of her statement sink in before she revealed what she'd learned from their endless conflict. "But divide them, place doubt in their minds, and any semblance of power they once had will wash away."

He refused to move. His stature remained tall and proud. She'd tried this before, the taunts, but he wouldn't let her get to him, just like he refused to be broken so many times before.

"Of course they won't realize it at first." She told him. As she spoke, her omniscient eyes watched the once unified people scatter across Remnant and resign themselves to less happy fates. She smirked as she witnessed first-hand what she was speaking of. "Like you, they'll cling to their fleeting hope, their aspirations. But this is merely the first move." She revealed to him cryptically.

"So send your guardians. Your hunstmen and huntresses. And when you fail and you turn to your smaller soul, know that you send her to the same pitiful demise!"

The only sign that his calm composure dropped were that his eyes widened and his fists clenched. To a casual listener it would sound like she was comparing his champion to his children—the hunters and huntresses, but he knew her. He knew what she was talking about; his previous champion. It was another in his long list of many mistakes.

"This is the beginning of the end Ozpin." She voiced what they both knew deep down in their hearts; that after so many endless ages on conflict and bloodshed, their war would finally come to a close.

Salem turned her head towards him, seeing him for the first time in centuries. "And I can't wait to watch you burn." Her blood red eyes glowed dangerously.

Despite the heavy losses he'd recently suffered, Ozpin didn't break his cool, especially not against her. "Do you really think it's that easy Salem?" He asked her. "Yes, they are divided, but they will reunite."

She chuckled, her ghostly pale face held a sadistic mirthful expression as she turned her whole body to face him. "The damage is done." She pointed out. "The kingdoms are divided and with your little tower out of commission, they can't communicate." She paused. "You think you know them so well, but we'll see."

"It's going to be beautiful." She continued. "The despair of the world is deepening, and soon darkness will reign supreme once again."

"You forget, in the darkest of shadows, light is born." Ozpin pointed out. "And you can change your strategy and tactics all you want Salem, but you will always lose because you fail to realize this one simple truth."

Simply put, Salem was much more passionate than Ozpin, and his little quip about her always losing did not help much. Her eyes glowed with murderous intent as she raised one of her ghost white hands. Copious amounts of thick, black fog formed in her palm. It amassed and grew as she shot it from her palm. The black smoke formed a vicious twister as it overtook the calm collected man in front of her. Salem lowered her hand as the shadowy smog continued to swirl around her age-old enemy.

Suddenly, a flash of light twinkled from within the dark depths of her attack. It expanded outward, growing into a sphere of light which pushed back the fog which eventually dissipated. The bubble of light faded away, revealing Ozpin, holding his hand out in front of Salem.

Thus, they once again revealed their true natures to each other, and the very core of their endless struggle; for he was the embodiment of light, and she was darkness incarnate. Since the dawn of time, light and darkness have co-existed. Two sides of the same time. But it was not always a battle. At one time, Light and Darkness peacefully co-existed. They knew their duties and performed them. That all changed one day many centuries ago. Something happened that forever changed Salem, and she was pulled in, corrupted by the darkness she embodied, becoming the wicked thing she is now.

"Spare me your philosophical dribble." She spat. "I've won this time." She declared. "And I'm going to continued to win." Slowly, she advanced towards Ozpin. In her long black cloak and gown, it looked like she was hovering. "I'm going to _FINALLY_ make you pay for what you did."

Ozpin's expression dropped further into a frown. She was still holding onto that. Not that he blamed her, he held onto it as well.

"Salem…" his voice was no longer bold or defiant, instead it was soft and solemn. "What happened was not my fault."

"Don't give me that!" She snarled. "Not again! It's because of you that Twilight isn't here now!"

Twilight was a young woman who was very close to both Ozpin and Salem in the past. Of course, Twilight wasn't her true name. Salem and Ozpin agreed to never utter it, for the memories her name invoked were far too painful. Instead, they used her namesake, Twilight. Twilight was that special time of day after the day ended and before the night began. And, much like her namesake, Twilight was the bridge that connected light and darkness…in more ways than one.

"Salem, do you really doubt me?" He asked. His voice began to rise at the accusation. "I loved Twlight just as much as you did."

"Then why didn't you save her?" Her voice was full of hurt, yet her face held nothing but anger and hate.

"Do you think I didn't try!?" He finally broke his composure and shouted back at her.

"You didn't try hard enough!" Was the pale woman's response. "She was _OUR DAUGHTER_ Ozpin!"

Ozpin watched as the embodiment of darkness clutched the front of his coat. She collapsed onto her knees, breaking down. They'd been enemies for centuries. And yet, in this moment, Ozpin saw a glimmer of who she was once was. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around the broken woman he used to know… used to love.

"Not a day goes by that I don't miss her." He whispered to her. "When I found her, I did all that I could." He tried to explain for the umpteenth time. "Even the master healers said nothing could be done." Behind his shaded spectacles, a tear fell from his eye. "I didn't want to lose her any more than you. Salem…" he looked down at her, "why can't you see that?"

From her kneeling position, Salem looked up at her former lover. Black tears ran down her face. "Because my heart is dead." She whispered. "It froze and died with her." She wrenched herself out of his grasp, standing back up. She ignored the black tear stains on her face. "I don't care what you did to try and save her. Because you failed, I can never forgive you." Anger and hatred took over Salem's face once again.

"And I want you to suffer…like I suffered. You may have tried to help Twilight, but you couldn't save her." She said. "It may have been beyond your abilities, yet I can never forgive you for your failure." She turned away. "This mankind you care so deeply for… I will do what I can to destroy it." She announced.

She turned back to him one more time, walking back up to him. "And despite everything," she placed her hand on his cheek, "I still love you." She declared.

Ozpin said nothing, he merely looked down at her. After moments of this silence, Salem scoffed and walked past him, walking back down the stairs into her kingdom of the night. Once alone, Ozpin sighed. He walked to the edge of the cliff and looked over the desolate wasteland.

There was no doubt in his mind, the Salem he once knew and loved couldn't be saved. She said she still loved him, but the woman he loved was no longer in there. In a way, he guessed he'd always known that…ever since Twilight died.

Or so he claimed. At the time of her death, Ozpin tested his powers in a way he never thought possible. The embodiment of light transferred his daughter's soul and spirit into a new vessel…a blank slate…and unborn child. In this way, maybe their daughter could be reincarnated and live on. At the time, he didn't tell Salem because such a gambit was still experimental. But by the time he learned it was indeed a success, it was too late. Before Ozpin could tell her, Salem had allowed herself to become corrupted by the darkness.

Ozpin closed his eyes, remembering his love, the Salem that originally existed. The darkness to HIS light. Of all the things he remembered about her, one thing stood out above all else to Ozpin. A trait that Salem had before she succumbed to darkness and took on her new form. It was a trait she had passed to their daughter, and after Ozpin transferred her essence, it was a trait shared with every reincarnation.

He could still see Salem's smiling face, looking up at him lovingly with her beautiful, silver eyes.

* * *

 **So allow me to clarify some things here. The thing about Salem being corrupted by darkness, them being former lovers and having a daughter… that was all purely written for this story. It's purely meant to be drama/tragedy.**

 **That theory I talked about earlier. It was that I believe Ozpin and Salem are light and darkness.**

 **By the way, I LOVE REVIEWS! Especially for one shots like this. Every bit of feedback helps me improve and I love hearing what you guys have to say.**


	2. Conclusion

**So wow, this story got kinda popular fast. I'm really surprised. So, I decided to extend it to a two-shot. I hope you like it.**

 **Like I said last time, I'm a complete review ADDICT. You can favorite it all you want (but don't follow, this is the last chapter), but I want reviews. I want to hear what you think. Please, they're great motivation  
**

 **As I said last chapter, this story is based on a theory I had; that Ozpin and Salem were light and darkness. While that is my theory, everything else is purely just for this story.**

 **Disclaimer:** _ **RWBY**_ **and its characters are the property of Rooster Teeth.**

* * *

 _ **Light and Darkness**_

 **Conclusion**

 _A young girl, no older that six, was standing out in the middle of a grassy field. She had pale skin and dark brown hair with a hint of red to it that hung down to her shoulders. Her big, silver colored eyes sparkled with childlike innocence. She was dressed in a pretty little orange dress._

 _The sun was beginning to set on the girl in the field. She held her hands out in front of her and they began to glow. One was a bright white and the other glowed a pitch black. The girl cupped her hands. Beams of white and black energy burst from her hands. As they descended skyward, the two pillars wrapped around each other. The lights faded from her hands as the beams formed a swirling sphere hovered in the air. The girl stared up at the sphere, all of her focus on it. After at least a minute, the orb vanished as the child exhaled._

" _Very good Layla." A much younger Ozpin smiled towards the child. His attire and face was the same as it would be in the future. The only major difference between now and then was that his hair was pitch black. "Every day your skills get better."_

 _The child giggled and ran to Ozpin's, hugging his legs. "Thank you daddy."_

" _Are you two enjoying yourselves?" A woman's voice called cheerfully._

 _Ozpin and Layla looked to see a beautiful woman walking to meet them. Beautiful was not a good enough word to describe her; she was breathtaking. She was dressed in an elegant, long, strapless, purple, long-sleeve gown that hung off her shoulders. Her flawless skin was pale like marble. She had long hair which hung down past her waist, and was colored similar to Layla's; it was dark brown. Unlike Layla, who had hints of red throughout her hair, this woman's hair was colored bright red at the tips. Also like the child, the woman had shining silver eyes._

" _Mama!" Layla squeeled. She detached herself from Ozpin's legs, running over to the beautiful woman who dropped down onto her knees and hugged her._

" _And just what is your father keeping doing keeping you out so late?" She asked with a light chuckle as she looked up at Ozpin._

 _The woman held her hand up to the sky. With a flick of her wrist, the sunset faded and was replaced by a moonlit night sky. "It is your bedtime after all."_

 _The shift from twilight to night caused Layla to whimper and curl tightly into the woman. "Huh?" She asked. "What's wrong sweetie?"_

" _The dark." The child whimpered. "It's scary."_

 _The woman looked up at Ozpin and smiled. She wrapped her arms around the child, cradling her as she stood up. "There's nothing to be scared of Layla." She smiled. "Not at long as you have us here."_

" _R-really?" The girl looked up at the woman, her silver eyes sparkling._

 _Ozpin walked to the side of the two girls. "As long as we're here Layla, we'll never let anything happen to you. I will light your way through the dark when you need it."_

 _Salem nodded. "And as long as I'm here, there will never be anything in the dark to hurt you. After all, I am the darkness."_

* * *

 _Several years had passed since that moment. Layla had grown up to be a beautiful young woman. Her father, Ozpin, was the light. Her mother, Salem, embodied the darkness. Layla was the twilight, the bridge that existed between the two._

 _Many other things had changed as Laya grew and became of age. In the forest that existed on the outskirts of their grassland home, humans started showing up. These weren't the technologically advance, aura-powered humans of the modern days. These humans were rather primitive. To Ozpin's understanding, they were settlers looking to make a new home somewhere. What started as a small camp did indeed quickly turn into a settlement in the woods._

 _Ozpin seemed to understand humans better than the others. After observing them, he realized they would be afraid of what they didn't understand. He warned his family not to go near the forest, but if they did, then they were not to use their powers._

 _It was on one fateful day that Ozpin's warnings went unheeded, and the consequences were indeed severe._

 _Ozpin sat cross-legged on a large rock, deep in thought. Night had fallen and a full moon had risen over the world of Remnant. As the years passed, Ozpin's once dark hair had turned to its more familiar silvery-white._

 _Heavy footsteps and panting drew Ozpin out of his meditation. He opened his eyes, looking for the source of the strange sounds. His eyes widened in horror when he saw his daughter stagger out of the forest._

 _Layla was hunched over, the knee-length orange dress she was wearing was stained and flecked with blood, her blood. She gasped and coughed as she wobbled across the field. She had been pierced with arrows; one was sticking out of her right side, three were in her back, one was embedded in her left shoulder, and there was one piercing her chest._

" _D-Daddy." She gasped before falling forward._

" _Layla!" Ozpin shouted. In a flash of speed, he was at her side, catching her before she hit the ground. Ozpin's heart was torn to shreds at the sight of his daughter. "W-what happened?" He managed to choke out._

" _I…" Layla gasped, her head laying in his lap, "I wanted to practice on my own, so I went into the woods." She recounted. "I remembered what you said so I went deep where no human had settled." She coughed, blood spurting out of her mouth as she did so. "A hunting party came across me and saw me." She explained. "They called me a witch and attacked me." Tears started spilling from her eyes. "I'm…I'm so sorry daddy!" She sobbed weakly._

" _Don't worry about that now." Ozpin's vision was blurred as he held his daughter. "Let's focus on getting you better." His hand glowed with the light he embodied. He hovered his hand above her body, moving it up and down. Nothing happened. No. He couldn't do anything. He couldn't save her. Layla was going to die._

 _Many would have assumed, because of their abilities, Ozpin, Salem, and Layla were immortal gods. They were not gods, and them being mortal was only "technically" true. If they were to live natural lives, they would indeed live forever. However, they were not invincible; they could be killed._

" _What's going—LAYLA!" Salem screamed in horror, running to her daughter's side, kneeling with Ozpin._

" _Ma-Mama." Layla's voice was weak, and full of fear._

" _My baby!" Salem sobbed as she took hold of her dying daughter's hand. "Save her Ozpin!" Salem begged. "Please, save our baby!"_

 _Ozpin closed his teary eyes as his glowing hand clenched into a fist. "There's nothing I can do!" He snapped, frustrated at his inability to heal his daughter. "Her injuries are too severe."_

 _So Ozpin and Salem wept as they stayed with their dying daughter. Layla coughed again as she looked to her mother. There was a smile on her face. "Mama…" she breathed. "I'm not scared of the dark anymore." She closed her eyes, and was gone._

 _Ozpin lowered his head, crying silently. Salem released a pained wail. The night seemed to echo her heartbreak. For in her pain, the moon shattered, giving Remnant the moon it had to this day._

* * *

 _After that day, a crack formed in Ozpin and Salem's relationship. As he tried to console himself by opening up, she isolated herself. They couldn't say her name anymore without going through unimaginable pain. They resorted to calling her Twilight whenever they spoke of her._

 _It began on the evening of this fateful day. It was fitting in a sense, the evening was Layla's time. Ozpin had done it; he found a way to preserve Layla's spirit. He'd found a way to transfer her essence into a new, as-of-yet unborn vessel. With the first vessel inhabited, each of its descendants would go on to receive Layla's spirit, effectively reincarnating her. Ozpin knew this wasn't a perfect solution however; their daughter was truly gone. But, this way, Layla's legacy would live on. He had to find Salem, to tell her the news._

 _He did find her. She was where she usually was most evenings; the field where Layla died. In mourning, Salem now wore a simple, long black down with sleeves that stopped at her elbows. Along with her gown, she donned a black cloak. Her silver eyes stared at the forest where the human settlement was located. She stared with her eyes narrowed, unimaginable fury was boiling within her. It was their fault. They had taken her daughter._

" _Salem!" Ozpin called, running to her. "I have the most wonderful news." He said as he stopped at her side._

" _Do you remember when Twilight was little?" Salem asked, ignoring what Ozpin had said and avoiding uttering her daughter's name. "How she told us she was afraid of the dark?"_

 _Ozpin nodded slowly. Something seemed…off about his lover. He found her tone of voice unsettling._

 _Her voice broke slightly. "I told her as long as I was around, she wouldn't have to be afraid." A sad smile appeared on her face. "And when she died, I was there, and she wasn't afraid." She recalled Layla's final words._

 _Her smile dropped however. "But for these humans," she snarled, "who took our daughter from us, it will not be the same for them."_

 _Ozpin watched As Salem swept her arm from one side to the other. A wave of pure black burst from her body, flowing into the forest. Cries of shock and fear could be heard from the human settlement as their fires and lights were extinguished._

 _Salem then stretched both her hands out. All around, black pools appeared on the ground. "I am the darkness." She declared. "And for taking my daughter, the humans will have a reason to be scared of the dark!"_

 _These pools of black energy spawned monstrous hideous creaturs. Creatures that resembled animals except they were shrouded in darkness, with glowing red eyes, and white, bone-like protrusions sticking out of their bodies._

 _Salem pointed to the forest, and the world's first Grimm understood, with blood-thirsty shrieks and fear-inducing howls, they swarmed into the woods, slaughtering the humans._

" _Salem!" Ozpin gasped, turning to face her. "Stop this!"_

" _Why?" Salem asked. She ceased her spell and the pools vanished. "They deserve this!" She spat._

" _No they don't!" Ozpin countered. Could he tell her about what he'd done? Would she even believe him? In her current, inconsolable state, he doubted it. But he had to do something. One of the women of that settlement was pregnant with Layla's reincarnation._

 _Ozpin quickly stuck his hand out. A beam of light shot out of it, striking one of the Grimm, making it vanish. He fired a few more attacks, vanquishing as many creatures as he could. He was so distracted, he didn't see Salem's hand ram into his stomach. Using her powers, she released a pulse of dark energy, knocking Ozpin back._

" _Why defend them?" She asked angrily. "You should be as angry as me Ozpin. They killed her!"_

" _And you think this is the answer!?" Ozpin shakily got to his feet. "Fear? More death will not bring our daughter back Salem!"_

 _Salem's silver eyes widened. "You're just as bad as them." She said. "No." She shook her head. "Your worse. You had the power to save her!" Tears began to spill from her eyes. "You could have prevented her death and you didn't!"_

 _Before her rant could go on, a twister of pure black smog burst from the ground beneath Salem's feet. It surrounded and enshrouded her. From within the harsh gale, Ozpin could a pained cry. The shriek faded and the twister vanished, and Salem was on the ground, hunched over and on her knees._

 _She looked different to say the least. Whatever happened had changed her physically. Her once dark hair had turned bright white to match his own. Her once marble-pale skin now resembled that of a corpse._

" _This…is my true form." Salem said as she looked at her herself. She looked up at Ozpin, showing him the extent of her transformation. Below her eyes, purple marks resembling veins appeared on her cheeks. Her silver eyes had turned a glowing, sinister red and the whites had become bitch black._

" _So be it." She said as she rose to her feet. She turned to Ozpin, her red eyes burning with hate and rage. "I am going to make you pay for letting her die!" She declared._

 _Before he could protest, Salem vanished in a puff of smoke._

 _Ozpin didn't have time to go after her. He quickly ran into the forest to eliminate the rest of the Grimm._

* * *

 **(Present day)**

At last, this fight was about to come to an end. Salem stood at the edge of the cliff that overlooked her kingdom. Behind her, her pawns Cinder, Emerald, Mercury, and Neo lay defeated. Across from the embodiment of Darkness, Ruby Rose stood ready with her scythe in hand. It was a long hard fight and her friends were out for the count. Weiss, Blake, Yang, Jaune, Ren, Nora, all of them helped Ruby get this far. She had to win.

Behind Ruby, at the foot of the stairs that led to Salem's overlook, Ozpin was tending to Ruby's fallen comrades. Thankfully, none of their injuries were fatal. Ozpin turned back to look up towards the stairs. Hopefully, this conflict was finally going to be closed.

"Let's end this, shall we?" Salem smirked as she extended her arm. From out of her body, shadowy tendrils formed, adding to her already monstrous appearance.

Ruby looked forward undeterred. In the time leading up to this, she trained and pushed herself past her limits. Now, she was ready to live up to her destiny as a Silver-Eyed warrior.

Salem snarled when Ruby didn't cower in fear of her. She bent her arm back behind her head, the tendrils moved with it, poised to strike. With a furious yell, she flew forward, prepared to destroy this little girl who had the audacity to oppose her. Raising Crescent Rose, Ruby charged at darkness herself.

Salem thrust her arm forward, the tentacles of shadow flying and spiraling towards the girl. Ruby channeled her inner power. Her silver eyes glowed bright. With a cry, she released a burst of energy from her eyes in the form of a wall of light. The attack hit Salem head on. Her tendrils shook and twitched as they shriveled away to nothing. Salem herself was affected by the attack as well, momentarily stunned by the blast. It was long enough to give Ruby the opening she needed to end it. With a thrust forward, she buried the blade of Crescent Rose deep in Salem chest.

Her red eyes widened as she gasped and sputtered, coughing. It was a fatal blow, she knew that much. She looked at Ruby, the warrior who defeated her and gasped. For the first time, she noticed the girl. Pale skin, silver eyes, dark brown hair with a hint of red.

"L-Layla?" She whispered, calling her daughter's name for the first time in centuries.

Ruby Spun around in a circle, swinging her scythe with her, the force of the spin caused Salem to detach from Ruby's weapon; she collapsed onto the ground and fell and rolled down the stairs, landing at Ozpin's feet.

Despite everything they'd gone through, despite all the centuries of pain they caused each other, Ozpin couldn't turn away from her. She was still the woman he loved. He knelt down, lifting up the dying woman and cradling her. The large wound in her chest began to seep wispy ribbons of shadow.

"Oz…pin…" she mumbled weakly.

Hearing his name, Ozping couldn't help but smile. "I'm here Salem." He whispered to her.

Her read eyes looked into his. And, for the first time in a long time, all the hate and fury in them was gone. Ozpin nodded. He gently rubbed her cheek.

"I thought I saw our daughter up there." She spoke.

Tears threatened to spill from the silver-haired man's eyes as he nodded. "Yeah. That's what I wanted to tell you all those years ago." He finally told her. "I couldn't save her, but I made sure she could live on."

After so long, Salem smiled again. "Guess…" she gasped, "guess I overreacted then."

Before he could answer, something happened. Salem, as she was now, melted away. Instead, replaced in Ozpin's arms was the Salem he once knew. Pale skin, silver eyes, dark hair with red tips. He never would have guessed that dying would have brought her back.

She started to cry. "I'm so sorry." She sobbed weakly.

Ozpin wiped her eyes. "Save your tears. Despite everything that's happened, I forgive you." Despite telling her not to cry, he himself was crying.

Like her wound, the edges of Salem's body began to turn into black smoke and dissipate. She was slowly vanishing, fading from this world. Even though he knew it was futile, Ozpin held her closer.

"I never stopped loving you." He whispered.

"I—I know." Salem grunted when she felt a jolt of pain. "And despite all my hatred, I still loved you." She slowly, weakly raised a shaky hand to caress his cheek. "And I still do."

The two were crying in a mixture of sorrow and joy. Ozpin leaned forward and placed his lips upon hers in a soft kiss. All the centuries of unspoken love was communicated between them in such a simple gesture.

Salem broke the kiss to gasp out in pain again. In his arms, Salem rolled over, looking up at the sky. Her eyes widened and she outstretched her arm towards the sky. New tears spilled from her eyes as a smile broke out onto her face.

"I see her Ozpin." She gasped, crying. "I see Layla."

Ozpin watched as she was fully consumed by the black smoke, leaving nothing behind. He wiped his eyes as he looked up, watching it dissipate into the air.

 _ **End**_

* * *

 **So what did you think? Tell me in a review. And I'm not writing anymore. This is the true conclusion to the story. So please please please be vocal with your feedback.  
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